Improvement in wrenches



JOSHUA B. BARNES, OF FORT WAYNEQINDIA'NA".

y Letters .Patent No. 78,176, dated May 26, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRENGHBSI..

@its tljrtuls reinar ti iu lgesr @that atmt :mt making met nf tlg: samt.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JOSHUA B'. BAnNEs,'of Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen, and'Stateof'lndianaphave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; Vand I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference'marked thereon, which form a part of this'specication, in which- `Figure 1 represents a side view of my'improved wrench, and

Figure 2 a back view of the same. The object of my invention is to provide a wrench, which's-hall be capable of holding orturning pipesfbolts, studs, or other cylindrical objects, and easily adjustable to. various diameters, and to this endmy improvements consists First, in forming the'lower jaw of the wrench rounding upon its face, and providing a. hook or projection -upon the upper jaw, so that the jaws, when closed upon' an object, shallpresent'three edges to it for thelpurpose of holding it more firmly. Y

Second, in connecting the upper-and lower jaws by such -an arrangement of mechanism as will render their opening readily adjustable to objects of. different diameters, and hold them rmlyVwhen placed upon the same.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents thelower jaw of the wrench, which, in this case, ismade' in one piece with the handle. It is curved upon its working-face, a portion of which is serrated or roughened toj aiord a better-bearing upon thejobject to be grasped.

The upper jaw, B, has a. projection, B', upon it, which is set at right angles to theI face, s, or nearly so, and" is alsov provided with a nose,'D, which works upon the curved face I of the lower jaw A. Straps, C C, are connected to the jaw B by the pin J pivoted therein, and are pivoted to the lower jaw A by the pin Jl, which is placed eccentrically to the curvature of the face I, which causes the latter to act as a cam for the noso D to work upon. `The straps C C have arms, E E, upon them, to which a. bolt, H, is pivoted by the pin J2. This bolt passes through a guide, G, screwed to ythe lower jaw', which guide serves as a stop for, the spiral springfF.

l The article to be grasped is heldbetween the facesof the upper and lower jaws and that of the projection B', thus securing a. firm hold, which, with only two faces, as in the ordinary .f orm of wrench, is impracticable. -The thrce'faces, it will be seen, are 'serratedor roughenedto. facilitate this end. To release the pipe or bolt from the jaws, the pressure of the fingers is applied'at the back of the nose D, which causes the latter totraverse upon the cam-face I, and raise the projection Bof the jaw B by vibrating it upon the pivot J of the straps C C. Whenthe pressure of the fingers is removed, the spiral spring F, acting through the arms E Eand straps C C, upon thejaw B, throws the projection ,B down towards the face I, reducing -the opening so asto'take in objects of smaller diameter, and holding the jaws, at any opening to which they may be set, irmly upon the object graspea.

Having thus fully described my improved wrench, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the jaws Anand B, straps O C, and spiral spring F, arranged and operating-esami for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that'I claim the foregoing as my own, I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSHUA B. BARNES.

Witnesses:

G. J. Z.'RAYnoUsns, WILLIAM L. GERARD. 

